Administrative court orders suspension of Egyptian elections

Decision of the low-level tribunal will likely be overturned

CAIRO (AP) — A low-level administrative court ruled Wednesday in favor of a lawsuit calling for Egypt’s presidential election to be suspended, a decision that is likely to be overturned, a judicial official and a lawyer said.

Legal experts said that the order issued by a provincial court would probably be reversed, because the suit was based on a technicality.

A court at Benha, in the Nile delta some 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Cairo, ruled that the Supreme Elections Commission overstepped its mandate by calling on voters to head to the polls on May 23 to cast their ballots, Egypt’s state news agency reported.

The court said that the ruling military council is the only body authorized to make that appeal, the Middle East News Agency reported.

Lawyer Ahmed Seif al-Islam said that the ruling can easily be appealed. A judicial official confirmed that, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

Egypt’s presidential election, the first since the ouster of longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak’s regime last year after an 18-day uprising, is set to start on May 23-24.

The ruling military council issued a statement on Wednesday declaring that there will be no postponement of the election.

There are 13 presidential candidates contesting the election. The front-runners are mainly Islamists and onetime members of Mubarak’s regime.

Also late Wednesday, the news agency reported that Egypt’s Cabinet was being reshuffled.

The report said the changes affect only four ministries — culture, labor, higher education and parliament affairs.

Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri, appointed by the ruling military, retains his post.

Since taking control of the parliament in elections, the Muslim Brotherhood has been demanding that it be allowed to form its own Cabinet. The military has resisted.